Hell Doctor
by victoriarogue
Summary: Five years after the Inuyasha adventure, Sesshomaru has begun to travel feudal Japan once more with his two companions, Jaken and the two-headed dragon. Along the way, Sesshomaru encounters a woman with the ability to place even the strongest demon into a bind unrivaled by any anti-demonic weapon or barrier. Will Sesshomaru kill this woman or soften up to her, too?
1. The Rumored Practice

There was a stale air in the night. Mosquitoes had risen and stirred the atmosphere with their silent buzzing. Fireflies, angered by the mosquitoes' insensitive hums, woke from their slumber and flew through the meadows. Wafts of sweet smells attracted the bugs towards a small flowerbed of acanthopanax, where other insects and snails were inhabiting them. An old traveller was walking along the beaten path past the meadow. His feet were beginning to ache from the stress of his work for the day. A short-eared owl made a scratchy barking call from its perch in a tree. It turned his head calmly and watched the man as he passed with his luggage.

"My, what a scary creature that owl can be!" the man whispered. "A fright in itself but beautiful in flight, owls are such fascinating specimen. Their talons are fierce but their wings are strong. No vermin leaves its grasp once it is a firm target."

The owl called again. Possibly taking notice to the weary traveller's poetic compliments? It isn't certain. The owl took flight and swished through the sky away from its perch in the blooming apple tree. The man watched it fly above him then land on another perch sitting in front of an empty house.

"A house? This far away from the village? I wonder..." the man whispered, walking down the hill.

He went in the direction of the waiting owl. Pondering why he hadn't noticed a house along the beaten path before. It didn't look abandoned. There was firewood in the frontyard. An axe set firmly in a large tree stump and wood chippings decorating it. The owl's perch was in the center of a grassless spot adjacent to the cutting table stump. A barrel full of apples was on the side of the small steps leading to the house's entrance. A well was further away from the perch that led to another building. Flowers and shrubs were surrounding that building. The well was closed up for the night, fireflies and moths circling the lid but not entering it. A small lake or pond was behind the house with a water wheel resting in its place. Bamboo piping was connected in some fashion unbeknownst to the traveller.

"What wonderland did this owl bring to me?" the man questioned in awe of the cunning bird. "Surely this must be a sign from the gods! A fortuitous event like this doesn't occur every day for the likes of me." The owl called again, startling the man from his whispering. He walked to the apple barrel and lifted from it a round, green apple. "I have never looked upon a fruit more ambrosial," he said, taking a bite from its flesh. He savored the taste then sat on the porch, watching the owl. "Are you a god, owl-sama?" he asked, devouring the apple in thought.

"I most certainly hope not," a voice giggled.

The old man snapped his head around, almost hurting himself, and hurriedly stood to his feet. The apple's riddled core trundled to the ground. A woman stood before him carrying two pails of fresh water in her hands. She had deep brown hair that curled about and framed her fresh face and feral-looking hazel eyes. Her skin was darker than his by two or three shades, considering his fair complexion with age. She wore the traditional kimono in a translucent blue, a deep blue apron and geta sandals. She smiled gently at the traveller, set her pails of water down and politely bowed in respect.

"Forgive me for frightening you," she said. "I heard mumbling as I approached the door. Might I help you, traveller-san?"

"Do you...live here, miss?" the man asked.

"Yes. My name is Jigoku Meioshi. I am a local doctor here. Isn't it dangerous for you to be travelling this late at night?" she asked, concern in her eyes as her brows furrowed.

"It is late, but if you could tell me how far the next village is from here I would be most grateful."

"Ah! The village is a morning's journey on foot. Why not retire for the night and take my horse at dawn? I have an extra room for you."

"I would not want to trouble you, Jigoku-san."

"No trouble at all," she said, giggling. "Please. Come," she said, taking her pails and leading the weary traveller into her home.

"Meioshi-sama..." a hiss called, startling the old man. "Meioshi-sama..."

The old man snapped his head around and saw a dark aura engulfing a weakened body. The body coughed - at first slow, then more hacking. The more it wheezed, the weaker he was becoming. A leopard-patterned loin cloth was on his bottom and prayer beads were draped on his neck. He had large tusks protruding from his mouth and a hanging maw with fur drooping to the ground.

"Jigoku-san! A demon!" the man screamed, readying a stick.

"No, no, wait! It knows my name," Meioshi said, stopping the man. She walked up to the demon then reached out and said, "He's weak."

"Are - are you a demon, too, Jigoku-san?" the old man asked, backing away from the two.

"No, I am not a demon. Neither am I a monster," Meioshi said, turning to the man. "I vowed to help those sick, injured or on the verge of death, and I will not let this unfortunate creature lay on my land and die because he is not of mortal flesh. If you cannot accept my vows, I will not be offended if you leave me."

The man was taken aback by her words and said no more as she went to work on the injured. However, she didn't leave him out of her services. Once she felt she was complete, she showed the most fetching hospitality. He had completely forgotten that there was a wounded soul from the depths of hell in another room.

* * *

"Sesshomaru-sama!" a water sprite demon called, looking from above in the sky. "Sesshomaru-sama!"

_Lord Sesshomaru, though skilled in slaying his opponents, I fear he's grown much too reckless in his ventures_, the creature thought. _I can never keep up with him during his battles as admirable as he can be! How is it that when Rin was with us, she could find him so much easier? Her feminine side maybe?_

"Sesshomaru-sama!" the demon called again.

He stopped once the two-headed dragon roared. They found Sesshomaru sitting beneath a blossomed tree. Birds were chirping above him as he rest there. You would think he killed the other demon off yesterday night with the way he was lounging about, but the truth is he had confronted the demon twenty minutes ago. He spent the last thirty minutes waiting on his servant, Jaken, and his pet Aa and Un.

"Sesshomaru-sama!" Jaken called, in satisfied glee.

Sesshomaru opened his eyes slowly then lifted them to look out into the field. His opponent was lying on the ground, poisoning the grass he lay on. This was before he discovered he had escaped from him and his death. The dragon landed gracefully, allowing Jaken to get off and run to Sesshomaru's side. Sesshomaru wasn't interested in Jaken's plaudits, but that was how he stayed on his good side for some unorthodox reason. To more important matters, the demon that confronted him had somehow disturbed his thoughts with his last words.

_**"You conniving bastard! The hell doctor - you'll see, Sesshomaru! The hell doctor will liberate me! You'll pay...I'll make sure of it..."**_

This was something new. He never heard of a hell doctor liberating demons before...well, before he killed his enemies at least.

"Jaken," Sesshomaru called, interrupting more annoying appraisals from the kappa. "What do you know about physicians?"

"A physician?" Jaken questions, looking into his lord's wondering face. "A physician, as far as I know, is simply a doctor - a practicioner in ancient medicine, which is concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease or injury."

"Do physicians specialize in medical practices for demons?"

"Hmm...I know there are some demons who use herbs particularly used by humans to heal wounds, but I don't believe I've heard of a physician who aided demons. Less that physician be a demon himself or a human mistaken by a demon's human form."

"There is a village some miles away from here. Investigate for any physicians who engage in suspicious practice like creating concoctions not meant for humans or using anachronistic tools. Take Aa and Un with you. I will follow."

Jaken had begun to question Sesshomaru's interest in doctors, but he thought no more of it and boarded the dragon's back. Aa and Un roared before departing from the silver-haired master. Jaken frowned in thought. This was the first time he saw his lord deep in thought about something other than Rin or InuYasha or Kagura for that matter. His face may have feigned disinterest but his voice told otherwise. Though commanding and sharp, there was a faint hint of curiosity that piqued Jaken's own interest. Why go dig up information about physicians?

* * *

Meioshi and the old man rode through the village by horse and cart. She stopped the horse with the clicking of her tongue then sauntered over to the cart to retrieve the old man's belongings. The man loaded his belongings on his back and said his farewell. A little girl spotted the doctor and smiled with glee as she watched her and the old man speaking to each other. She ran to some boys and pointed to Meioshi then ran away from them. Meioshi bowed to the man then busied herself with shopping from the market at the far end of the village near the fishing docks. The little girl ran up to her and tugged on her skirt.

"Mei-o-shi-san!" the little girl sang.

"Ky-o-ko-chan!" Meioshi sang, copying the little girl.

"Meioshi-nee-san, I've been doing what you told me and watching over mommy," Kyoko said.

"Ah! That's wonderful, Kyoko-chan!" Meioshi said, patting Kyoko's head. "How has your mother been feeling?"

"Her skin changed colors!" Kyoko cheered, giggling. "It's not white as the apple blossoms but better. She's as healthy-lookin' as a peach!"

"You've been a great mommy then," Meioshi complimented, touching Kyoko's nose. "It's really hard for mommy to eat heavier foods, but if you give her the proper amounts like I've told you then she'll be able to do more exercise. Has she been doing light exercises?"

"Mm-hm," Kyoko nodded. "She's been able to lift more weight than I remember. Last night, she helped daddy carry the chicken feed to the coops!"

"Uh-oh," Meioshi said, covering her mouth. "How many bags did she manage to carry?"

"She carried two," Kyoko said, pouting. She had hoped she wasn't a bad mommy.

"Then...she doesn't need her medicine anymore," Meioshi said, smiling. "Your mother just needs to eat and sleep properly. She can stop refilling her prescriptions."

Kyoko smiled brightly, tears welling up in her eyes. She embraced Meioshi with all the gratitude she had in her heart. Her mother was fine; she was going to be fine. She had been a good mommy and was going to be better to make sure her mother didn't become fatally ill again.

"You did a wonderful job, Kyoko-chan," Meioshi said, patting the little girl's head. "If it wasn't for you being a mommy for your mommy, she would be taking much longer to heal, but you did it! She's made better progress than I had anticipated."

"Thank you, Meioshi-nee-san. Thank you, nee-san..." Kyoko whimpered through tears.

* * *

Jaken stirred from his pleasant slumber as the sun beamed in his face. He had thought of Lord Sesshomaru patting his head to wake him with gentle eyes and a rare expression so shocking it blinded. Suddenly, he erased ever having that vision. That would never happen in a million years no matter how many wishing stars you prayed on! Aa and Un roared. Jaken looked between the two heads and spotted the village Lord Sesshomaru mentioned. It was closer than he thought! There were some woods on either side of the village. The left side had a river passing through.

"Aa. Un. Land on the side where the river is," Jaken directed.

The dragon obeyed and landed swiftly. Jaken hopped off then paced back and forth. His thoughts were surfacing to the point where he had begun to mumble to himself, but he didn't realize he was voicing his inner thoughts. Aa and Un were being entertained by this and rested beneath one of the trees to watch.

"I wonder what could Lord Sesshomaru possibly want with a physician... Was it that demon from earlier?" Jaken questioned, remembering the beast. It was a green-skinned demon with large tusks protruding from its bearded maw. "Now that I mention it, that demon was protecting a woman from him. And that woman called out to him, but he told her to run from us. Why does that bother Lord Sesshomaru, though? Did the demon say that woman was a doctor? It doesn't relate..." Aa and Un growled. "Shut up! I'm thinking... Thinking... Maybe Lord Sesshomaru is thinking about the woman. It's fairly unusual for a demon to protect a mortal woman, but it doesn't add up. His younger brother, InuYasha, protected Kagome and she was a mortal woman too. Lord Sesshomaru should be used to this sort of treatment by now. He himself protected Rin until she started living with Kaede, but he still visits. Wait, Kaede is a doctor! Maybe he thinks that woman was Rin, and he may have been confused as to why she would rely on another demon. That makes much better sense! Rin may have become a doctor and is learning how to heal demons because she feels indebted to Lord Sesshomaru for taking care of her! This all adds up!"

Rattling and ringing echoed through the woods. A hymn was being sung by numerous voices. Jaken shushed himself and creeped to some bushes to see priests walking in a line, singing a hymnal chant. The leader tapped his staff on the ground, rattling the rings on either side. The one in the middle was dragging a stick along a rippled metal pan, and the one at the very end of the line rung a small gong. Two of the other priests were predominantly singing. A drum was being sounded from somewhere, but it wasn't among the priests. Jaken watched them as they passed, entering the village. He hummed in thought then came up with an idea. He ran behind Aa and Un then prepared his two-headed staff. With a simple chant and a puff of smoke he transformed into one of the priests.

"Hmph! Not as fetching as I would have hoped, but I'm sure I make this get-up look good," Jaken said, rubbing his chin.

A rustling in the bushes was heard. Suddenly, two boys who looked no more than ten popped out of the bushes. One of the boys had messy, black hair and word a burgundy kimono; in contrast, the other boy had longer, straighter hair and was chubbier in the face. He wore a green kimono.

"A-ha! See, Shotaro-kun, I told you there was a dragon in the forest," the messy-haired child exclaimed.

"Alright, already! You were right; I get it! Now where's this kappa monkey you were talking about?" the other child argued, regretting having to admit his partner was right in seeing a dragon.

_Who is he calling a monkey? _Jaken thought, preparing to argue that very same notion.

"You idiot! The priest is the kappa monkey. He just changed himself to blend in, right?" the messy-haired child questioned, looking confident in his assumption though it was a total guess.

Aa and Un mewled, looking at Jaken's angered face. He was caught, and he wasn't just caught by another demon but human children. That's what upset him. How could he be found out so easily? In a puff of smoke and reversal chant, Jaken changed back to his original form. This transformation shocked Shotaro as he drooped his head and looked to the ground. He was clearly upset about being wrong.

"Alright fine! How'd you brats know we were back here?" Jaken asked.

"Hm?" the messy-haired child gestured, placing his hands behind his head. "I saw you flying to the trees. A kappa monkey flying on a two-headed dragon isn't something natural you see every day; let's be realistic here. How can you not expect to be seen like that? Did you notice how low you were flying?"

"Well, you - !" Jaken started, growling from lack of words.

"You know, you could've just landed your dragon in the village. We're not scared of you," Musuko said, placing a hand on his hip. "All the other demons walk around like a fine kettle of fish. What's stopping from doing the same, kappa-san?"

"Nothing's stopping me from doing anything! I thought you humans wouldn't appreciate demons landing on your property!" Jaken argued.

"Doesn't bother us," Musuko said, shrugging his shoulders. "Unless you were scared we were gonna beat you up or something."

"Hey, Musuko-kun, we'd better get back to work. Katsui-sensei will be checking on our work soon," Shotaro said. "You know how he gets when work isn't done."

"Shit, you're right!" Musuko said, rushing through the bushes. "If we don't finish, we won't be able to see Meioshi-nee-san."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Jaken shouted, stopping Shotaro from following Musuko. "Do you know any physicians around your area?"

"You mean like a doctor?" Shotaro questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Meioshi-nee-san is a doctor. You can come with us to see her. She'll probably be in town until the sun starts going down or something, but you have to hurry up. If we're skinned, you're skinned too. Don't forget your dragon, kappa-san!"


	2. Myth vs Medicine

Meioshi and Kyoko were happily searching for fish at the market near the docks. Some of the fishermen were returning to the shore to refill the stocks after this morning's catch. A geisha was walking over the footbridge to visit a man. Little Kyoko admired those kind of women for their beauty but never their work. Meioshi was a beauty, too, but she never dressed up like the geisha in the village. She has seen a group of geisha tease her beloved doctor before, but Meioshi never seemed bothered by their mockery. She always smiled at them and continued her journey elsewhere.

"Meioshi-nee-san?"

"Hm?" Meioshi responded, purchasing a large fish. "What's wrong, Kyoko-chan?"

"Why do the geisha pick on you, but you never pick on them?" Kyoko asked, watching Meioshi place her fish in a straw basket. "Especially the one in the orange kimono. Why does she always tease you? You never do anything to her."

"Hm..." Meioshi hummed in thought. "Honestly, I don't know. It's as you say. I never do anything to her, but I suppose I must have done something without realizing it. Perhaps I stepped on her clean socks one day and got mud all over them. Maybe I knocked over her silk parasol while it was raining and it got filthy. You never know what you might do to someone if you're not paying attention."

"Meioshi-nee-san, you're always talking about getting dirt on people or their belongings!" Kyoko giggled. "Do you like playing in the mud, too?"

"I rather enjoy splashing in the puddles when it's raining," Meioshi says, smiling. "However, that's not what I do to get mud on my legs."

"What do you do then?"

"I go to the rice fields and gather rice," Meioshi says, picking out another fish. "There's plenty of mud there. I also go in my vegetable garden to retrieve potatoes and carrots. Sometimes I travel to help people and the ground is so muddy I don't realize I collected mud on my sandals. I'm always moving about, so I gather filth. No matter how many times I wash, dirt finds its way back on me."

"I like you, Meioshi-nee-san. You like to get dirty!" Kyoko says, holding up a large fish. "You're not like the geisha, all powdered and groomed. You work hard and do your best every day; they get to lounge about and work on nights only."

"I wouldn't say that, young lady," a merchant says. "Geisha have to practice their art every day just like Meioshi has to work every day. They have to study poems and songs just like children have to study literature and arithmetic. Geisha do a lot of work, too. The trick is seeing them do it. They mostly work indoors. I bet if Meioshi became a geisha, she would have to work even harder."

"Is that true, Meioshi-nee-san?" Kyoko asks, mouth open in curiosity.

"That's right," Meioshi agrees. "You might not see them get dirty, but geisha have to work really hard to become beautiful women."

"Well, you don't have to work hard, Meioshi-nee-san. You're beautiful just the way you are!" Kyoko says, blushing and smiling vibrantly. "You don't need paint to be pretty. You don't need a kimono either. You're you! The kind, hard-working doctor that I love so dearly."

Meioshi gave Kyoko the gentlest smile that warmed the little girl's heart and the people's hearts around them. The geisha, who was visiting, listened to their conversation and scuttled to another part of the village. The rattling and ringing from the line of chanting priests echoed through the docks. The fishermen by the docks began to sing the hymns and let the wind carry their voices to the seas. The leading priest spotted Meioshi purchasing different fish and walked towards her. Kyoko turned to see the priests walking towards them and clutched Meioshi's skirt in fear. The leading priest wore an orange kimono while the others wore white. He had an intimidating presence that irked the nerves of any bypasser.

Kyoko whimpered, causing Meioshi to turn. She looked up to see the priest then placed her hand on Kyoko's shoulder. The priest looked down on the little girl, smirked then, with a faint gleam in his eye, he looked up. Meioshi's hazel eyes were especially enchanting with the sun's warm glow making them look like pools of honey. His smirk widened to a grin.

"Jigoku-san. Still gathering items for your patients or are you out of food?" the priest asked with a sneer.

"Both," Meioshi answered honestly. "I have run out of meat. There is plenty of produce outside of the village, so I gather what I need there."

"We do not allow those who live in this village to wander aimlessly outside of the village. Do you wish to poison the children's minds yet again with your abomidable influences?" the priest asked.

"I am not telling the village's children to venture out to your oblivion," Meioshi stated, becoming firm with the priest's ignorance of what lies outside of the village. "I said what my aims were. I travel outside of the village to gather produce that is not on my land."

"You waste your time gathering when you can purchase vegetation from the village and support our economy?" the priest questions, raising an eyebrow. "You could be busy looking pretty for a husband instead of walking around through the oblivion grounds collecting its filth and scourges. What sort of physician are you? Walking around in dirt - !"

"I gather my vegetation because I enjoy doing my own labor, and I support your economy by purchasing my meat from the docks and farms, do I not?" Meioshi boldly questioned, silencing the priest. "My work, sir, is labor-intensive and halts any intercourse I may engage in with man. I will look for a husband when I am ready. I am a physician who is looked for moreso than your ambiguous charlatans because I am successful and knowledgeable in my practice. Does this cause room for concern, sir?"

The priest's eyebrow twitched with Meioshi's challenge. The nerve of this filthy, insubordinate woman to talk back to his authority! The gods will certainly damn her! He thought of something more to say.

"It does - not to know of your residence," the priest said, positioning his bottom lip to cover the top one. "You're here when we, the people, suffer the worst of this land's ailments, but you're never here beforehand to prevent disease from poisoning the flesh. You live in some place you consider sacred. Some babaric utopia where everything is there for you and you need nothing from us but your meats. Why not gather your meat from oblivion like your produce, hm?" the priest asked, positioning his lip again. "Oblivion has run dry of cowhide perhaps?"

"It is not within my vows to harm another living creature, though I may consume the beast's flesh for my health. There are no bulls or chickens running 'round my house, and if there were I would never kill them. Sell them I may do if they do not find my home suitable: This would be another contribution to your economy. I chose to live outside of the village because the herbs I use for medicines are predominant in the area I live in, sir. Your job is to help the people engage in prayer to prevent any poisoning of the flesh; my job is to help the people when prayer does not prevent the poison. Is there more room for concern, sir?" Meioshi asks, smirking at the priest's silence.

The priest inhaled sharply, positioned his lip then stomped away once he realized there was nothing more to say. He had been defeated for today. After stomping a considerable distance, the priest turned to Meioshi sharply and ranted.

"One day, Jigoku-san, one day! You'll be ill, wondering what has gone wrong with your oblivious utopia, and no one in this village will have your meats to help you get better because the economy has reached its impending collapse! You'll be crawling on the ground begging the gods to redeem you from your illness. They'll laugh at you. Ha, they'll say, ha! Next time you'll help your people by buying their fruits, dirty doctor. By then, you'll feel guilty for crossing me and lay in the ground. They'll be no room for you, madame. None! The worthless beggars and cheats of the human realm will inhabit all of hell; the demons will throw you out for there's no extra space for a dirty doctor. Perhaps then you'll wonder if there is room for concern!"

With that, the priest ran off. His face enraged with heat and anger. Kyoko poked her little tongue out, insulting the priest behind his back. She thought about his words. They were so hostile. They were almost the same as the geisha who pick on Meioshi. She thought about his words and wept. She wept in anger.

"Kyoko-chan," Meioshi whispered, kneeling down and holding Kyoko's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Why are they so mean to you? I hate them!" Kyoko answered, struggling to wipe away her bitter tears. "You never did anything to them. Why are they are so mean, Meioshi-nee-san? Why? Why?"

"I don't know, Kyoko-chan," Meioshi whispered, embracing the little girl. "I don't know."

* * *

Jaken was seated next to Musuko on an island in the center of a pond. The island was a study. It was made of wood and built like a small house (with exception to the lack of furniture and its size) with a black marble writing table positioned in a diagonal view. Aa and Un were swimming in the pond, enjoying the peace of mind and other demon creatures swimming in the pond. Jaken was beyond impressed by the village's serenity. There were all sorts of demons who had been living here for years, yet he never heard of this place. Why? Shotaro mentioned there were demons living in another village with humans as well; he called it the sister town. There were scholars near the shrine further into the village who could explain the village's history, so Jaken made plans to visit the temple north of the village.

First, he had to gather his thoughts and interpret them into questions. Lord Sesshomaru ordered him to investigate any suspicious practices that a physician would engage in, which would be considered immoral to humans. Any doctor who aids demons is top priority in his quest. No matter how ridiculous it sounds. This Meioshi stood out to him so far. He's known women to be healers but not to demons. Demons heal much rapidly and efficiently than meekly humans. What sort of wounds can't a demon heal?

Well, Lord Sesshomaru's arm was severed and couldn't heal properly when InuYasha damaged it, Jaken thought. Perhaps this Meioshi maintains the regenerative process for demons, but how does she do it?

"You, human boy," Jaken calls, looking at Musuko.

"My name is Musuko, Lord Jaken," Musuko responds, annoyed by being called out of his name. "I thought we agreed not to call each other names? Do ya want me to call ya kappa-san that badly?"

"No! It sounds ridiculous!" Jaken argued.

We did agree to stop insulting each other so that I could meet Meioshi-nee-san, Jaken thought. What the hell is wrong with me? I don't know any woman named Meioshi in the familiar like that!

"Hey, I think Lord Jaken lost it," Shotaro comments, staring at Jaken frantically shaking his head. "He's spinning around like a flipped coin!"

"Nah, he's all right," Musuko says, continuing his calligraphy. "He probably thought about something odd. Oh, speaking of thoughts, Lord Jaken wanted something. Hey, Lord Jaken, stop fooling around! You called me for something earlier didn't you?"

Jaken snapped out of his thoughts then cleared his throat. He said, "Ah! Yes, I did. Musuko-kun, what is Meioshi-nee-san like?"

"He didn't," Shotaro said, looking at Jaken incredulously. Musuko likes to talk about Meioshi in the weirdest ways, and he'll sometimes take until tomorrow to finish his thoughts. "Lord Jaken, I don't think - !"

"What she's like?" Musuko questions, standing up. "She's...the greatest woman in the world!" he compliments, nose growing out to a point. "Where should I begin?"

Shotaro pulls out a fan and pops Musuko in the forehead. He said, "Let's skip to the present for starters! Jeez! Well, Meioshi-nee-san is a very talented doctor, who lives outside of the village. She travels most of the time to help people in the sister town, and she'll pass by here to check up on her old patients. I heard my mother say she was going to travel to another village further than the sister town."

"She is?" Musuko asks, eyes sparkling and cheeks beginning to color.

"Yes, Musuko, she is!" Shotaro answers, readying his fan. "Besides her travels, she gathers a lot of food in her house. I've never been there, but travellers will often say that her home is like paradise. She has everything she needs except meat, which some travellers will sell to her. Kyoko-chan's mother is the only human from the village who has been to her house. Maybe later today, you can ask what she knows about the medicine she prepares and how she treats her patients."

_A primary resource is a good start, and she's a more recent patient I hope_, Jaken thought.

"Now, you can describe her, Musuko-kun," Shotaro allows, putting away his fan and continuing his calligraphy.

"Meioshi-nee-san has a very kind heart, and she seldom causes trouble for anyone. She always checks on her patients to ensure nothing else happens to their health. She is never mean to anyone no matter what they say that might seem spiteful, and her beautiful smile can melt anyone's heart," Musuko says, sighing. Hearts seeming to float around him. "That's all I can say."

"That's it?" Shotaro shouts. "What about your undying loyalty and your admiration and how she took care of your dad and how beautiful she is when the heavens shine upon her? You always say those things!"

"Well, that'd take too long and Lord Jaken doesn't have time for that," Musuko says, looking at Shotaro. "Besides, he'll be able to see all the things I like about her if we can catch her before she goes home for the evening."

"Unbelievable..." Shotaro mutters, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "If it were anyone else, you'd rave on about everything you know about Meioshi-nee-san and now you're taking it easy? What a load of pishposh!"

"Shotaro...are you in love with Meioshi-nee-san too?" Musuko asks, face full of stars glittering about. "You just said one of her favorite phrases!"

"I'm not in love with Meioshi-nee-san like you! It just...feels like I'm an aristocrat when I say that phrase. All sophisticated and intelligent," Shotaro admits, blushing.

"So you're in love with the woman. We all understand it," Jaken and Musuko say in unison.

"I am not!" Shotaro defends.

"Musuko. Shotaro. You may take your friends and go into town. Your lesson for today is over," a man calls.

* * *

"Boys! Where are we going?" Jaken questioned, following the cheerful lads through the village. Some of the neighboring demons were watching them as they walked. "We better not be going in circles."

"Circles?" Musuko questioned. "Puh-lease! We know the village like the back of our hand. Calm down, Lord Jaken. First thing we gotta do is find out where you want to go. You said you wanted to investigate, right?"

"I know what I said!" Jaken argued. "First, I would like to know if there are any doctors here that heal demons."

"Hm?" Shotaro questioned. "Well, Meioshi-nee-san does that."

"What?" Jaken shouts, fingers twitching.

"But most demons go to her house if they're in serious condition or are picking up some medicine," Musuko continues. "If you want to go to her house, you might want to ask one of her patients here where to go. Children are forbidden to leave the village, especially if it means going to her house."

"Why is that?" Jaken questioned, frowning in suspicion.

"The head priest says so," Shotaro answered.

"That's Kyoko-chan's mother," Musuko says, pointing to a home close by. "I think I saw feed being thrown to the chickens. Let's go see."

"Come on, Lord Jaken!" Shotaro called, pulling Jaken's arm.

They arrived at the front door of the house. Musuko and Shotaro removed their geta sandals while Jaken was steadily being pulled by Shotaro. Musuko called out to the mother until she responded. They rushed to the backyard where the chickens were running around. Musuko loved to run after the fowl. Shotaro released Jaken's arm to tell the mother about Jaken then turned his attention to Musuko. He called out to him, trying to stop Musuko from catching the chickens while they eat.

"Lord Jaken," the woman called, startling Jaken. He crept towards then waited. She said, "Shotaro-kun tells me you wish to speak with me about your investigation. How may I be of help?"

The mother was an attractive woman. Her skin looked fresh and her hair was shining in the sun's glow. She was wearing a pale rose kimono adorned with a fuschia hyacinth at the hem of the skirt. If she were ill, it would be hard to tell. Her husband must be proud. In her earlier years, she must have been stunning!

"Oh, uh, ahem!" Jaken says, coughing. "My lord has requested that I find a physician in this village who may be using malicious practices to aid demons. I suspect he may be concerned that the procedures this particular physician undergoes is also harmful to humans. The boys have told me that there is a physician named Meioshi-san, who has taken care of you recently."

"Yes," she said, nodding. "She said I was suffering from pallor and has been treating me for the entire summer season. My daughter went to go see her while I was shopping in the market. They may return here for a check-up before she leaves home. She does this for all her patients, I hear. Sometimes it feels like she's my other daughter."

"Hm," Jaken hums, furrowing his forehead. "The boys have also told me that you have gone to her home for treatment. Could you tell me your experiences?"

"Certainly," the mother agreed, walking to porch to sit. "It was in the middle of spring. I had been experiencing severe aching in my head and nothing seemed to help relieve the pain. I tried many natural herbs in my cooking, but it felt as though they worsened the sheer multitude of the aching tenfold. The head priest, Bokushi-sama, had kept me in his study the entire season. He told me that evil spirits were resting in my skull, and the spirits were interfering with my prayers to the gods. I followed his instructions to rid the spirits by allowing one of the priests to do one-inch incisions on each side of my head, where the temples are located; thus, allowing the same man to place a clove of garlic on the cuts."

"That's babaric! I would prefer Lady Kaede's treatments than his," Jaken remarked, seating himself down. He had decided to go to the temple directly after this. Speaking with Meioshi would have to wait.

"Ah, this Kaede-san is a doctor from your village?" the mother asked, feeling the sun's rays beam on her face.

"No, she is an elder," Jaken corrects. "I don't live in a village like you all. Lady Kaede is taking care of Lord Sesshomaru's former travel companion. Honestly, I thought that she was the reason why he wanted me to find a bunch of doctors."

"Do you really think so?" the mother said, earning a questionable look from Jaken. "For some reason, I believe he had another motive. I assume this Lord Sesshomaru is a demon as well?"

Jaken nodded, smiling broadly. He boasted, "He is not just any demon, m'lady. He's a great demon lord and successor to his father! He is a perfect ensemble of power and strength! He's so strong that no purification techniques can greatly affect him! Even if your priests made incisions on his entire body and put garlic in the cuts, his power wouldn't fail in the slightest!"

"He sounds like an ideal mate," the mother commented, giggling. "Is he handsome?"

"Is he handsome?" Jaken repeated, scoffing. "Why, he's attracted women across the land - humans and demons alike - just by speaking!"

"I assume he has never touched the women he's spoken to," she said, crushing Jaken's boasting like glass. "He sounds like the proper gentleman. Boring perhaps, but he doesn't seem to come across as inconsiderate."

"Lord Sesshomaru," Jaken sobbed, "this human woman denies your significance..."

"Oh no! I'm not beign rude!" the mother defended, frantically waving her arms. "I'm just trying to reach my conclusion for your search. I think this Sesshomaru-san wanted to find ill-natured doctors for another reason. If Lord Sesshomaru is such a striking demon in power and appearances, why search for doctors?"

"C-c-c-c-can we continue with your experiences?" Jaken asked, earning a nod from the mother.

"After the incision, I was to pray for three days without sleeping," she said, showing remorse in her eyes. "Bokushi-sama said the spirits will ravage my body and make me weaker if I become vulnerable for a moment. I returned home after this procedure. I had to lie that I was feeling better so that I could see my husband and daughter. The villagers had pity for me, but one demon saw my agony: Aka-san. In the middle of the night, I had been crying after the house was aslumber. Aka-san, the red-horned demon, had secretly called for a woman who lived outside of the village and asked if she could help me. Early morning, she had come to check on my condition. She introduced herself: Jigoku Meioshi-san. I thought she was going to be another one of those useless doctors who tell you to eat grass and burn a piece of tree bark in the yard when the moon rises. Some travelling physicians claim this is good for the mischievous demons who prey on your good fortune. But she didn't say this to me. She stayed with me for three days, watching over me. When she inspected me after the third day, she found other things wrong with me and told me that I was suffering from different causes relative to pallor. My skin was paling in my mouth and on my palms. She said the disease wasn't significant since it could be treated by acknowledging the other symptoms. This was the beginning of summer when she diagnosed me, and it was then that she brought me to her home for several days."

"What was her home like? Did she make you get incisions too?" Jaken questioned.

"Her home is one of the most beautiful places I've seen," the mother commented. "She has gardens, an irrigation system, a shrine, a pond, even a little barn for the foods she harvests. Bokushi-sama has tried to get me to tell him what I saw, but he would become so abusive that I've always had to tell him otherwise. I don't know why he wants to know where she lives so desperately, but it must not be a good thing."

"Why?" Jaken asked, watching the boys chase the other farm life.

"Religion and science have never agreed to terms with their knowledge," she answered. "Did you know that an owl watches over her? There are many superstitions about owls because of their appearance. I believe that this is why the priest does not admire Meioshi-san in any way."

"Because of some bothersome myth about a bird?" Jaken questioned. "How stupid can you be?"

"For centuries, we humans have conjured the oddest of superstitions pertaining to the owl. The myths that have spread for this one bird strikes fear into those who believe the myth," she says.

"Name one myth that could frighten a soul to the very bone," Jaken challenges.

"My mother once told me that 'If an owl lands on the roof of your house, it is an omen of death.' I was told that the owl that watches over Meioshi-san had landed on her roof once and a shriek was heard from the plateaus of the sister town. Many travellers who are led by the owl to her home will say, 'Constant hooting near your house also foretells death.' The owl has hooted near her home before many times, but no shrieks were heard. Only sights of her carrying bodies onto her cart are a result. This is why Bokushi-sama has dubbed her the hell doctor. The product of hell, the owl, marks the darkness beneath her practice. You know, some people of the village simply will not accept her help because of Bokushi-sama's influence."

"Because he's scared of a wretched bird?" Jaken questioned. "If you ask me, they should be turning to your doctor more than him! He shoves garlic in your skull like he's going to cook a soup inside your head!"

"Those were precisely my thoughts," she said, standing. "Boys, we're going to visit Aka-san's home. Come."

"Yes, ma'am," Musuko says, Shotaro following behind him.

The mother, Jaken, Musuko and Shotaro left the house and walked further north in the village. Aka's home was up ahead.

* * *

"So, Lord Jaken, did you get a lead on your quest?" Shotaro asks.

"I believe so," Jaken answers. "Your Lord Bokushi is an arrogant prick who likes ordering people to shove garlic in people's skulls. I'll be having a word with him fairly soon. Moreover, speaking to Jigoku-san is top priority since she aids demons in her practice more than she does humans. This information may interest Lord Sesshomaru in more ways than one."

"Hey, I just noticed your dragon's gone," Musuko said. "Where'd the two-headed thing go?"

"I let Aa and Un walk about freely for a while," Jaken answered, earning shouts from the boys. "What?"

"You can't let a dragon walk around like a fine a kettle of fish! Is that thing tamed?" the boys shouted in unison.

"Of course it's tamed!" Jaken shouted.

"Oh, so this is who it belonged to!" a small voice said. The group turned to see Kyoko, holding the dragon by its reigns.

"Kyoko-chan! Give Lord Jaken his pet back this instant!" Kyoko's mother demanded.

"I was!" Kyoko said, reassuring her mother. "Meioshi-nee-san found it by the docks. We fed them and everything. She told me to find the dragon's owner while she bought some stuff for her new patient."

"A little girl shouldn't be holding something as strong as a dragon, especially one with two heads!" the mother said. "But she must have evaluated the dragon properly if she said it was appropriate for you to handle it."

"Oh! Before I forget, Meioshi-nee-san said you don't need your medicine anymore! You're all better, mommy!" Kyoko said, smiling brightly.

The mother gasped. Jaken looked to the mother and daughter then watched as Aa and Un yawned. The mother produced a warming smile that softened passersby's hearts instantly.


	3. Mention of Mating Season

Jaken followed Kyoko's mother further north in the village. They crossed a small wooden bridge where koi fish swam in the stream beneath it. One of the koi fish drunk some fresh air then sank back into the clear depths. Jaken was having a humorous conversation about Sesshomaru's punishments with Kyoko's mother as they walked to a row of homes on the left. There were more demons in this section of the region walking by as if it were normal for humans to be around. Jaken - for the first time in his life - witnessed a rather lovely specimen. She was a voluptuos amphibian the color of the fresh water koi fish, and she wore a befitting opulent blue kimono while carrying a pale blue parasol. One of her friends was giggling as Jaken's mouth sat agape as he continued to observe the group of females. Kyoko's mother smiled at this then spoke.

"That is Madame Ao, the lady lizard. She was a patient of Meioshi-san years ago. It is believed that she was the first demon Meioshi-san treated in her entire career. Madame Ao is always grateful to Meioshi-san; she frequents her house whenever she is free."

"She works in the village?" Jaken asks, waving to the demon girls.

"She is a geisha. The favorite, I hear," Kyoko's mother said. "She performs with the girls at her side."

"Ah," Jaken drags, blushing from Ao's bow towards him. "I never heard of a geisha house with demons. It must be intriguing."

"Meioshi-san had invited me to a performance once. The experience was rather exciting!" she said. "They danced and sang and blew fire from their lips! There was even Madame Ao's bubble show."

"Do the human geisha and demon geisha ever collaborate in dance?" Jaken asked.

"Oh, on many occassions!" the mother said, looking Jaken's bulbous eyes. "They learn each other's practices, but I do not believe the human women ever use what they learn from the demon women. It is rather unfortunate, too. I believe they would much more popular. Ah!" Kyoko's mother gasped. "There's Aka-san! Aka-san!"

Jaken glanced over to where the mother was calling and saw a tall red-skinned demon with ivory tusks protruding from the sides of his nose. He had hind legs and a lion's tail flailing about. His arms were burly and his back strong. White hair descended from his skull and chin; some of the hair coated his forearms. A brown loin cloth made from cowhide was tied about his waist and hung to his ankles. His long, pointed ears twitched at the call of his name. He turned his head to Kyoko's mother and curled his lips into a toothy smile - a very pointy-toothed smile. Kyoko's mother ran towards him, Jaken reluctantly following behind her.

"Tsukushi-chan," Aka said, holding a large red claw. "How are you fairing?"

"All healed," she declared, smiling brightly. "There are not enough words to show you how much gratitude I wish to bestow upon your blessed soul for calling Meioshi-san to help me. Had it not been for you I would surely have suffered."

"No thanks is necessary for doing what is right," Aka said, caressing Tsukushi's cheek. "You needed help; I only wanted to find someone who could."

"Oh!" Tsukushi gasped. "I almost forgot. This fellow wanted to know about Meioshi-san and her practices. Could you perhaps tell him what you know, Aka-san?"

"Hm..." Aka hummed, evaluating Jaken. "Someone requested that you come to Heiwa?"

"Heiwa?" Jaken questioned.

"The name of our village; it is Heiwa. Heiwa means peace," Aka said, looking at the villagers engage in conversation. "Though we are all not the same species, the people of our village are a peaceful breed. We are not against each other. We have been for nearly a century now. It took us twice those years to create a bond together and live as one proud civilization. Our soldiers fight and protect each other, and our farmers work together. When the wind blows, everyone stops to feel the same peace in every soul pass through the currents like a floating dream. Emperors would kill to have our unity. The male who sent you seems to misunderstand our ways. Apparently, his peace was broken but by curiosity. By chance, be his name Sesshomaru-sama?"

"Aye," Jaken answered. "That is the name of my lord."

"He is a very powerful warrior demon I have heard," Aka continued, leaning on his spade. "Fought a heathen by the name of Naraku, saved you and a young human child, and shows nothing short of brutality without honor. There was an instance when your lord confronted a neighbor and friend of this village. My neighbor, Ichi-kun, was crawling upon Meioshi-san's doorsteps before he was treated for his severe wounds. He was in fear of dying. The woman he both loves and protects had to leave him behind to be safe from your lord's dangerous clutches. You both ought to be ashamed for what you did to them."

"What we did?" Jaken questioned, angered by Aka's defense. "Ichi should have kept his nose out of our business!"

"What business could possibly drive your lord to nearly slaughter two innocent lovers?" Aka questioned, growling low. He looked into Jaken's eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled as he began plowing his crops once more. "It is unfair to harm others, you know. Years have trangressed before I too realized my wrongs against others. I was once a monstrous soul. I watched over this village three centuries young, preying upon the land for wavering souls. Only two things saved Heiwa from my rage: my wife and Jigoku Meioshi's ancestor."

"An ancestor?" Jaken questioned.

Aka hummed then spoke again, "Jigoku Arimasa, a priest of some kind and doctor. He nursed me to health when my arm was severed. I am indebted to him and his descendents for rescuing me."

"Jigoku Arimasa?" Tsukushi repeated, trying to remember where she heard that name before.

"He is known as the third hell doctor," Aka said, gaining Jaken's full attention. "A physician who can curse, kill, control, and cure both humans and demons. There is a village of demon slayers in the far north that is being reborn. I heard rumors that the slayers expelled such doctors from their village because of the conflicting powers. The second hell doctor was born and raised in the village of demon slayers and made him the first militant doctor. I know not of who or where the first hell doctor was originated from. I only know the surname Jigoku has lived on for years before I was born."

"Does that mean Meioshi-san can do the same?" Jaken asked, flinching a bit. "What of the hell doctor's powers?"

"I only know she can cure us. I know not of the extent of her powers," Aka said, standing straight. "However, I would not ignore her usage of them. She could be very formidable if her powers were put to use for some reason, but that reason would have to be pressing."

"Are there heirlooms she could have inherited that could contribute to her powers?" Jaken asked.

"I am not inclined to say."

"Why not?" Jaken asked, glaring at Aka.

"One, you attacked innocent villagers. Ichi-kun was inspecting the trail back to the village when your Sesshomaru-sama attacked him. Yuko-chan thought this man was going to slay her beloved," Aka said, angered by Jaken's defense. "She ran here in complete fear, muttering what happened. We spent hours trying to appease her by searching for him. It was only until this morning did we understand the situation from Meioshi-san. I have no reason to believe Sesshomaru-baka is not looking for Meioshi-san to finish Ichi-kun off."

"Lord Sesshomaru didn't ask for your simplistic, melodramatic Ichi! He wanted to find out about any doctors who were healing demons. That's all!" Jaken defended. "If you're not going to tell me anything, I'll move on to the man in the temple who shoved condiments into poor Tsukushi-san's skull!"

"He does not heal anything except his ego," Aka huffed. "Visit the temple to meet him and ask about his garlic treatments. It is simple to speak with that disgrace. However, if Sesshomaru-baka wants to see Meioshi-san about her practices, he should do it himself."

"Aka-san!" Tsukushi finally called.

"Is there some concern here?" a sweet voice asked.

Aa and Un bellowed sleepily as they followed the woman holding it by the reigns. Kyoko, Musuko and Shotaro were riding the dragon. Jaken turned to see a lovely young woman, looking at each squabbling person in the trio. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, but loose strands hung about and framed her round face. Her eyes were a beautiful hazel color, and her skin was somewhat tanned. She had painted lips, though not rouge-colored like the Heiwan geisha. Her baby green kimono was oddly filthy, which contradicted with her fresh face and hands. She also smelled of fish and some other substance Jaken couldn't mark, but it certainly wasn't a pleasurable fragrance to his nose.

"Meioshi-san!" Tsukushi called.

* * *

"I see," Meioshi said, nodding her head. "This Sesshomaru-sama was concerned with Ichi-san's mention of me and sent you to investigate. Were you possibly debating the relevance of your lord's reason to speak with me?"

"Precisely, Jigoku Meioshi-san," Jaken responded, bowing his head down as they walked across the bridge.

Jaken was blushing from Meioshi's beautiful smile and trying his hardest not to look into her eyes unless necessary. She spoke in an unusual accent, but it was quite... What did the boys call it? Sophisticated and catchy. It wasn't Japanese, and even her formalities when speaking in the native language didn't sound like a native Japanese woman. She might have been mixed with some other ethnicity, but Jaken wouldn't be able to recognize it even if asked. It made Meioshi a bit cuter, though. Not many foreign women of Japanese descent are accepted, and there are hardly any around with exception to Kagome who hangs around like a fine howdy-do. He hadn't seen that useless human woman in ages, or that disreputable lover of hers, Inuyasha. It's not in Jaken to go visiting useless humans unless he had to for Lord Sesshomaru, but he probably wouldn't have minded if either one of them showed up. Though he had his doubts; this village, Heiwa, isn't typically easy to find. Jaken gasped after nearly tripping on the bridge's loose boards, making Aa and Un make a questioning purr, and growled as he stomped off the foot of the bridge. Meioshi walked towards her wagon and loaded all her purchased goods onto the wooden vehicle. Some human geisha passed and made sneers at Meioshi behind her back. Jaken noticed this and wondered what the fuss was about. She was putting away her things like an upstanding girl.

Aa and Un made themselves exceptionally useful by allowing Meioshi to attach the wagon to its reigns. Meioshi continued the conversation as she led Jaken and the dragon to her home.

"Well, I would not deny this Sesshomaru-sama's bloodlust for Ichi-san in the slightest. However," Meioshi started in an unusual accent, "the fact that he was curious to see me after witnessing the relationship between Ichi and Midori troubles me."

Jaken lifted his head to the doctor then said, "What do you mean?"

"Well..." she hummed, placing her finger underneath her chin. "Did your lord have another companion like yourself, sire?"

"Yes, a little human girl."

"Ah, this is a simple answer to your problem! He is mistaking me for his other companion," Meioshi concluded. "Sesshomaru-sama may have thought Yuko resembled the little girl before jostling Ichi with his riff-raff. At some point, he must have realized that Yuko was not in fact the little human girl. If Ichi mentioned something of me, he perhaps assumed I was his companion. Is there a possibility that you know of other physicians?"

"Lady Kaede. She takes care of the human girl, Rin," Jaken replied.  
"Ah, I know Kaede-san!" Meioshi said, pointing to herself. "I was her apprentice for some time after my father passed away. Such a small world pertaining to medicine! It could be that Sesshomaru-sama assumes Rin has become a doctor that aids demons then," Meioshi concludes, confident in her theory. "What other reason would there be for such a bundle of inquiries? It's not me he wants to see; it's the girl."

"If this is true..." Jaken trailed, meditating on the clues set before him. "Why not just go visit Rin in the beginning? Unless... He went to see Rin without me!" Meioshi watched as Jaken poured his soul into waterfalls of tears. The depressing aura made his scene quite comical to the doctor. "And here I had such pride for him."

"I am certain your lord simply wanted to speak with the girl alone for a moment before retrieving you, Lord Jaken," Meioshi called, smiling sweetly at him. "It is nothing to diddle daddle about now, love. In the meantime, would you like to join me for tea? It will take your mind off your lord for a moment. If he is visiting Rin, there is no need to worry about either of them." Aa and Un roared. "Your dragon seems eager to relax. I have some sheep's meat they may consume with me for dinner if you do not mind the occassion?"

"I suppose it is fine, but only one cup. Lord Sesshomaru may be expecting me or worse. He may come to yell at me," Jaken said gravely, emanating a dark aura from his body.

"Oh, pishposh!" Meioshi exclaimed. "If he does any riff-raff of the sort, I will escort him off my property and protect you."

"Speaking of protection, Madame Jigoku," Jaken said, noticing they were exiting the village, "I wish to speak with you about your surname."

"What of it?" Meioshi asked, curiously.

"That red demon, Aka. He said that an ancestor of yours saved him from an injury. His name was Arimasa. What do you know of this?"

"Ah, Arimasa is one of my forefathers. He was a travelling priest who practiced medicine a tad late in his age, but he grew accustomed to it quickly. He married a fisherman's daughter and had eight children. Of the eight, two inherited his medical skills. Unfortunately, one passed away at seventeen years young. The other went on to be in the military and grew into medicine like his father at a later age. Medicine, war, and religion are the very foundations of my family. Every generation has at least one doctor, and each doctor in that generation develop their skills at a later age; specifically, forty-two years young. The first doctor in my family was a samurai of the emperor. He developed what is known as incense that repels demons after having the tremendous opportunity to care for one that was weak against the ingredients for the smoke. Actually, it was the most peculiar thing in our family journals. One of the main ingredients of incense is eel skin. I thought it was the most prepostorous thing in the world, but it works well against dragons." Aa and Un roared. "Oh, hush, sillies! I don't plan to use incense against you after helping pull my wagon. You are safe."

"Sesshomaru-sama is no dragon demon, so it would do no good against him," Jaken said, smirking proudly. "No preventitive method could hurt him!"

"Ah, he must be powerful," Meioshi said, feeling the wind against her face. "Now that I think of it, why on Earth would a powerful demon like that be interested in medicine?"

"Just something Ichi said, I suppose," Jaken answered. "I'm afraid I'm not too sure why he's curious about medicine either."

"Is it mating season for a demon of his kind?" Meioshi asked. Jaken and the dragon made odd faces at the question. Certainly Lord Sesshomaru wasn't about to start searching for mates in the medical field, right? Meioshi giggled at the faces and said, "Oh my. This clearly shows we know very little of Sesshomaru's behavioral patterns."

"Wh-wh-what kind of question is that?" Jaken shouted.

"This is a matter of science, my lord!" Meioshi answers, laughing. "If he has been behaving in ways he would not, then perhaps there is an event occurring in his biological clock. What sort of demon is Lord Sesshomaru? Is he an aquatic type like yourself?"

"Lord Sesshomaru is the son of the great dog demon, Inutaisho," Jaken informed, imagining the fearsome form of Sesshomaru's father. "A non-aquatic type if I must say so myself."

"Ah, Lord Jaken," Meioshi whispered, curling her finger. Jaken crept close to the doctor and listened carefully as she whispered into his ear, "Has Lord Sesshomaru been around women lately?"

"Well, your Yuko was one woman he came across," Jaken answered, thinking. "Then there was the cat demon woman... There was also the harpie demon...and some sort of bat demon...and one of the wolf demons...but I'm sure this is nothing notable."

"Did any of these women perhaps posture themselves a bit differently than most women you have seen such as walking oddly or talking in a sweeter voice or even showing skin in certain ways?"

"Well...the cat demon walked on her toes almost...and that wolf demon lifted her lower back when she sat down...as for the others, I didn't pay attention. They seemed to act the same way as before whenever we crossed ways."

"Ah, well, the good news is neither the harpie nor the bat was in the estrus phase of their gestation period," Meioshi informed, bowing to a traveler along the dirt path. "The bad news is the cat and the wolf were choosing Sesshomaru-sama as a potential mate." Jaken and the dragon stopped walking at the news. "Now this is nothing to become concerned about. I imagine Sesshomaru-sama has not responded to either invitation." Jaken screamed simultaneously with the dragon's roar in realization and shock. "Oh my! I believe he has responded. Well, I'm sure the women asked not of his services to them. He might have refused the request to be the father of their children." Jaken and the dragon screamed louder than before as it all tied together. "Oh my, maybe he did accept the offers. Um, perhaps the women changed their minds about the offer and would not allow him to fertilize their eggs." Jaken and the dragon screamed loud enough for the village to hear them. "Oh-ho-ho, my! Well, um... I am qualified to deliver young babes." Jaken and the dragon screamed one last time before fainting.


	4. Sesshomaru is under her spell?

"Ha~h," Meioshi sighed, sipping a fresh cup of warm tea.

Jaken was resting on Meioshi's porch leading to the backyard, watching Aa and Un swimming in the lake. Ducks were startled by the dragon's roars as they flapped their wings desperately to escape the beast. Jaken helped himself to a cup of tea as he poured the steaming liquid into his cup. He brought the beverage to his lips then went wide-eyed for a moment. He swallowed then looked into the cup, searching for a hidden ingredient.

"Something wrong?" Meioshi asked, looking into Jaken's cup.

"This tea is delicious!"

"Ah," Meioshi said, sighing in relief. "Your tea has a special ingredient: frost-bitten ducktail weed stems chopped to a fine dust and soaked in a honey brew. Kappa demons are quite attracted to this ingredient because it lures prey for them to feast upon; however, further studies have shown that honey brew actually improves a kappa's digestion and eyesight."

"How do you know of this ingredient?" Jaken asked, suspicious and curious.

"I have been studying my family's medical journals since I began my medical practice. Of all the books I have managed to obtain, an ogre's almanac is the most sacred in my library. It gives me certain information about a demon's features and how they are used. What actually cures or improves a kappa demon's abilities is something I conduct a bit of trial and error on. Nothing in the ogre's almanac says what heals a kappa other than the products found in its natural habitat. For example, did you know that water lilies actually poison kappa demons and the extraction of a lily pad's aqueous contents can stop the poison from spreading?"

Jaken gasps sharply then replies, "No, I was not aware of this. What exactly will stop water lily poisoning for a kappa?"

"Oddly enough, boiled snake skin stewed in chicken broth and chili pepper," Meioshi answered, shocking Jaken to the point where blue lines drooped down his green head. "This was just something I experimented with when I found a poisoned kappa near my lake. Such a frightening scene for his heartbroken wife, poor dear! She left him at my lake after weeping for three days. I took it upon myself to find the reason for his death and it was water lily poisoning! It was an amazing discovery! Of course, I took a few blood samples and ran some tests before I discovered the cause. In the ogre's almanac, it was not mentioned that a water lily was poisonous; it was only said that humans are attracted to the flowers for the color and fragrance, but humans fall prey to other water demons because of it."

"Where exactly is this ogre's almanac?"

"Ah, I apologize. By oath, I have sworn to keep the almanac's whereabouts a secret as part of my practice in healing demons."

"Is that all you use such a powerful book for? Healing? A book like that can be used to slay more demons than a sword. Powerful demons can hunt you down for it!"

"Thankfully, none have," Meioshi said, giggling and sipping her own tea. "Wouldn't make much of a difference, however. A demon can't read the book. Only humans can, and no ord'n'ry human is meant to read it either. Should a human, who is neither a healer nor one of pure heart, open the book's pages, his eyes and tongue will be cut and he will roam the earth blind and dumb."

"But you are no ordinary human is what you are saying," Jaken injects. "Your heart is pure."

"No, I sin like an ordinary human and I am weak to diseases, poisons, and other rubbish. My heart is tainted with criminal intent, but I will not act on what my heart may feel. If I desire to kill, I will not. It is against my vows to harm any living creature. I promised to help the weak, sick, and the mistreated, and that is what I will do or else suffer for it. It is what you might say obligatory."

_Hmph!_ Jaken harrumphed. _Obligatory she says! None of this justifies the fact that she's no ordinary human. I'll have to stay by her side to see this ogre's almanac for myself. I should at least tell m'lord Sesshomaru who and what I have discovered in his absence_.

Jaken took another sip of his tea and sighed in relief. He said, "I wouldn't mind making you a servant. Such good tea!"

"I am no servant," Meioshi said, smiling at the setting sun's warmth. "But I do enjoy making tea and cooked eel sometimes. Unfortunately, your dragon seems to have scared away the eel before they scared it. I'll have to settle for roast pork and fried vegetables for supper. When do you suppose your master will arrive to receive you, Sir Jaken?"

"He'll get me when he's ready. Lord Sesshomaru has no time to dwindle with you humans unless you are a potential threat to Rin," Jaken said, turning his chin away from the woman. "Besides, you're no threat as you are. Now that other fellow who shoves garlic into people's heads is worth a good talking to."

"Oh, I concur!" Meioshi agrees, nodding and bringing her teacup to her lips. "Any charlatan such as that inexperienced cunt deserves to be eaten by a demon. They should have him hanged! A true doctor at least examines his patients, and he only accepted that troublesome priest's judgment before succumbing to such foul practice. He's a threat to any and every woman!"

"So even you find him suspicious?" Jaken inquired, shaking his head. "Now that's really saying something."

"All this talk of medical quacks will ruin my mood for the journey tomorrow morning," Meioshi said, rising to her feet.

"What journey?" Jaken asked, turning to the woman.

"I leave for Mizuonimura at dawn; a village passed Lady Kaede's home surrounded by rivers and lakes. Around this time of year, viral bacteria nest in the most frequented places by humans. Once autumn comes, the village harvests infected water from springs, poisoned fish and shrimp, and sometimes the crops suffer. It's best if I give everyone a good check-up and prolong the nasty effects of these diseases that like to come during the fall season. Summer and spring seasons are perfect times for plagues to completely dictate the poor village. It has happened before, unfortunately. I simply must visit them before autumn arrives; it is nearing the end of the summer."

"What will happen to your home while you are gone?" Jaken asks, placing his teacup down.

"It will remain here, of course," Meioshi answered, raising a delicate eyebrow. "I can't bring my entire estate. Perhaps I should inform you, though. I am visiting Lady Kaede's village for supplies in the meantime. Your lord may very well still be there by the time we get there. Heiwa is not far from her village, and it only takes several hours by horse. By you having a dragon, you can make it there in half the time. I usually don't get there until dark."

"And how long will it take you to get to this other village?"

"Normally, it only takes me three days by horse and a week by foot. Mizuonimura is quite far from here even if I travel endlessly. I envy you demons for your speed, but being human gives you the ability to enjoy some time off. You should learn to enjoy some time off yourself, Lord Jaken. Aa! Un! Your lamb meat is going to spoil should you diddle daddle with the ducks!"

The dragon growled then swam to the house. Jaken gasped in surprise at the creature's obedience to the woman. Perhaps there was more to being a doctor than he thought. If Meioshi can achieve these kinds of results from other demons, she may very well be a human with extraordinary powers. Lord Sesshomaru would definitely want to know this. Why waste time going to Kaede's village by foot when there was a perfectly obedient dragon about to mooch off some mutton?

"Lady Meioshi!" Jaken called. "A word please."

"Yes, one moment," Meioshi replied, retrieving a fine leg of lamb for the dragon heads to share. She tossed the meat to them and watched as they growled happily before gnawing at the meat. She said, "Yes, Lord Jaken?"

"I have a request," the imp said. "Since you're so good at taming Ah and Un, why not take a ride with us to Kaede's village? I would very much like for you to meet Lord Sesshomaru. I'm sure he would like to see you also."

"That sounds lovely, but how am I going to get to the next village?"

"I will personally escort you there," Jaken answered. "I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will be fine without me bothering him. He can destroy more lowly demons with his power without my assistance than he can with my interferences. I'm much more fascinated by your skills in medicine and these quacks that seem to exist."

"Well, in that case, you've got a deal!" Meioshi replied, smiling brightly. "I'll pack my cart with the supplies I need for morning. Hopefully, Potaruopuna-sama is in good health for me to set up shop in Kaede's village. I do pray that my meadows are in proper condition."

"Who is Potaruopuna-sama?" Jaken asked, earning the screech of an owl. He looked up to see an owl perching itself onto Meioshi's shoulder with its groomed talons and flapping its beautiful and wide wings. "An owl?"

"This is Potaruopuna-sama," Meioshi said, scratching underneath the owl's beak. "He is a very special friend of mine."

"Friend and advisor, no less," the owl grunted in a deep, scratchy voice. "I am familiar with these demons you allowed on the farm. The dragon serves as a means of transportation for your lord, Sesshomaru, son of Inutaisho. A powerful leader and being like that can only raise haughty bastards or at the very least impatient sons with no manners, but I hear he is no longer bad ton. He is a compassionate, haughty bastard now?"

"You feathery fuck!" Jaken insults rudely. "How dare you insult my lord!"

"Oh my, this won't bode well…" Meioshi mumbled, reaching into her dress to retrieve a string of blue pearls.

"I will say as I please little imp!" Potaruopuna screeched, flapping his massive wings. "If your lord is a haughty bastard, then he is a haughty bastard. That is all I will say of this matter."

"Flames of - !" Jaken started, preparing his staff to attack the owl.

Meioshi wrapped the blue pearls around her hand then released a relatively weak binding spell on Jaken. She chanted, "Baindo Kappa, Kodai buruparu1!"

The dragon roared in the distance as it watched Meioshi's power surface. It could feel a faint seal rising from the ground. Jaken was startled by the sudden chant. He looked into the woman's glowing hazel eyes, noticing a purple star glowing inside them. His body was frozen from the harsh gaze pouring from her once gentle and kind eyes. A single raindrop fell from the heavens and into an illusionary pond, but Jaken could feel the cold moisture of both the fog clinging to his legs and the pond his feet were pinned in. Such power locked inside a human was impossible; especially the power to perform strong binding spells like this! Soon, Jaken was completely immobile and helpless under Meioshi's spell. Her hazel eyes stopped glowing and the magic stars locked in them were gone. She sighed in frustration then turned her head only slightly.

"It is quite rude not to announce your presence, young man," the doctor said.

Jaken looked up from his fallen position to see his Lord Sesshomaru! He could have sworn he went to Kaede's village. Why did he come here? Perhaps he sensed Meioshi's power or felt he was taking too long with the investigation. Maybe he wanted to know if Aa and Un were okay. He wouldn't care if Jaken was hurt, would he?

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Jaken called, quite surprised by his lord's presence.

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru questioned, anger boiling within him.

"Jigoku Meioshi-san. Lord Jaken has told me much about you, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Release Jaken from his binds," Sesshomaru demanded with a faint hiss in his tone.

"I would," the doctor said, smiling brightly, "but he tried to hurt Potaruopuna-sama. Is this the 'haughty bastard' you were referring to, my lord?"

"He is exactly the one," the owl remarked, plucking a feather from his chest. "You made need this if you hope to live."

"Oh, stop it!" Meioshi giggled, taking the feather. She replaced the blue pearls in her dress and searched for another trinket on her body.

"Where are you looking?" Sesshomaru questioned.

Meioshi felt the wind of his breath caressing the nape of her neck and shivered slightly. She continued looking for her trinket until she successfully retrieved it. Sesshomaru saw the gold glimmer from the sun-shaped object and wondered what other powers the woman before him possessed. His sword was out of his sheath already; her death could be prolonged if she proved a worthy opponent. Even a human can fight back. The woman turned around and looked into Sesshomaru's eyes for a brief moment. Both man and woman were taken aback by each other's finely featured face: the yellowish-eyes, the shiny hair, the fair skin - Meioshi's being a bit darker, and the supple lips. Meioshi swallowed, letting her throat work a bit, and then took a few steps back. She placed her sun trinket atop her cradled thumb and flipped into the sky. Sesshomaru watched the glimmering object twirl until he felt something stab him. It was the owl's feather! Though the sun trinket was only in the air for a few seconds, it must have been enough to distract him. Once he looked at the prickling feather embedded in his chest, his eyes met the woman's in a gripping gaze.

Meioshi sighed then said, "It's a pity to have such a fine subject be bound on my porch, but I have a village to go to soon. I cannot allow these kinds of distractions to continue. Shibaru Inu, Chen-bi!"

A death-like grip forced Sesshomaru onto his knees and bound him down. Jaken called out to Sesshomaru in utter shock, growing hatred for the woman who bound his master. The dragon stayed by his lamb meat, hoping it wouldn't be sealed by the intimidating woman before it, but roared in protest all the same. Meioshi put her trinkets away then turned to the owl on her roof.

"Well, that will hold him down for the night, but it won't last by morning. This one's a bit stronger than you thought, Potaruopuna-sama. I honestly wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he broke the seal by the time I turn my back. Terrible shame this is, though."

"Shame, you say, doctor?" the owl asked, tilting its head.

"There are no books on dog demons or their anatomy in the almanac except their powers and perhaps a hypothesis on their healing abilities. I would have enjoyed conducting a few experiments on this one. Such a blooming shame!"

"Careful, doctor. We have a village to go to," the owl reminded. "Using your binding powers like this will weaken my portal. You'd best find some way to open it without this sort of disruption."

"Blast!" Meioshi complained, kneeling before Sesshomaru. "My apologies, Lord Sesshomaru. I know you probably had other plans besides resting here like this, but I cannot allow such unlawful riffraff on my property. The reason your most loyal servant is in his binds is because he tried to attack my darling Potaruopuna-sama. I need that owl you see up there to open a special portal. Without him, I am lost. I'll have very little money, my powers will be weakened tremendously, and I'll be lonely without my trustworthy friend. Strong, devilish demon men like you will devour me the moment I even utter the words of prayer."

Sesshomaru looked into Meioshi's apologetic eyes and mumbled, "Even a devil's son can find...other uses for the likes of you."

"What other use is there besides a taste of flesh and blood?" Meioshi questioned, caressing Sesshomaru's hair. It was very soft to the touch. "There's not much a demon can do with an old doctor covered in soil."

"A bosom like yours is bound to show promise," Sesshomaru commented, looking down at Meioshi's breast. "Dirt does nothing more than entice more sons."

"Lord Jaken," Meioshi called, turning to the imp. "You never mentioned that Lord Sesshomaru was a perverted CREEP!"

The last thing Jaken saw before fainting was Meioshi planting her foot onto Sesshomaru's head… Terrible, terrible mistake…


	5. It Came to This

"Nya ha ha ha ha! The mighty Lord Sesshomaru crying over a human woman? What kind of sick joke is this? No way would the dog demon care about this tramp!" the purple-skinned madman guffawed. In his large hands was now a frail woman losing her soul by the minute and no longer looking at anything except the insides of her eyes.

Sesshomaru bit down on his teeth and felt his jaw tighten so much his head began spinning. The anger coursing through his blood was enough to kill millions of souls, but he only wanted to destroy one. The demon that held onto the woman. Her body was limp and without life, her skin was rotting and beginning to turn gray, and her hair was losing its proud and dark luster.

"A tramp, you say?" Sesshomaru hissed, making the demon stop laughing. "We're going to have to fix that perspective of yours. Let's change the level of your eyes first. It's too high right now."

* * *

"My god, the day ticked by slowly," Meioshi dragged, rubbing her shoulders. "I will never accept a full schedule like that again!"

"Making promises to yourself, Lady Meioshi?" Sesshomaru questioned.

They were in a forest not far from the mountains they had to cross to get to another village. Jaken and the two-headed dragon were near the lake, fussing with Meioshi's trusted friend and owl demon, Potaruopuna. Meioshi worked long hours for three days straight just to care for her patients. Priests threatened to burn down her clinic, but Sesshomaru made sure they never made that mistake twice. He even startled Meioshi with his threatening, powerful aura and guttural growls.

Out of pity, he would say, he went looking for the doctor in her study but only found it empty with several books lying about. When he asked Jaken where she went, he claimed he neither knew nor cared to which he got a nice beating as a reward for his answer. A nurse demon was hustling about to prepare fresh herbs for healing tea. She answered, Meioshi was in the spring. Now, here he is just watching the doctor bathe and rub her aching muscles. To his surprise, she was completely naked; usually, the doctor was very cautious about exposing her body in any way, shape, or form and wore a white robe to cover herself. To see her in nothing but her delicate skin was a pleasant - and dare we say arousing - surprise. Feeling left out, Sesshomaru stripped himself of his own clothes and entered the water.

"And then there's you," Meioshi sighed.

Sesshomaru creeps behind Meioshi as she rubs her shoulders and replaces her hands with his own. She gasps then melts to his touch. Being around a doctor and books of the human body has done him well. He kneaded his fingers through her soft flesh and untied the nerves tangling themselves beneath her muscles. Her soft moans and cooing made the blood flow in his body travel to a very important member of his own naked form. He was going to ignore what the doctor was doing to him physically and just stuck with conversation. That always ruined his mood.

"You were saying?" Sesshomaru remarked, moving his hands to work the shoulder blades.

"I'm sorry, I spoke?" Meioshi responded eyes hazy and head limp. "I don't seem to remember speaking."

"Don't indulge yourself so much and you might remember," Sesshomaru commented, lowering his ministrations.

"Oh my goodness," Meioshi gasped, blushing.

She collapsed onto a rock that was conveniently fixed in front of her and simply let the demon give her the best massage on the planet without saying another word. Evidently, she wasn't even paying attention to the position she was in as Sesshomaru looked down at her. He merely continued until he felt he could no longer do so without touching her in different places that were more intimate in nature. She pouted and whined when he stopped then turned to him. She looked alarmingly adorable, which made Sesshomaru quite uncomfortable, and then crossed her arms as she glared at him.

She inquired impatiently, "You've been reading my books again, haven't you?"

"Perhaps," Sesshomaru answered, cracking his neck then flicking his head to toss a lock of his hair behind his shoulder. "Does that displease you?"

"Heavens no!" Meioshi commented. "You've made me quite _ANGRY AS ALL HELL_! Did I not tell you to stop perusing through my things?"

Sesshomaru reached for her and then yanked her head forward so that her face was merely two or so inches away from his. He then whispered, "A moment ago, you lost your mind with pleasure...and some relief. You would not have felt that way if I hadn't gone through your books to read about the human body and its muscular structure, is this not so?"

Meioshi was silenced for a moment then moved away from Sesshomaru with a huff. She instead went to wash her hair near the small waterfall on the other side of the spring. Sesshomaru said nothing more to her and she did the same. He simply watched her as she poured a bottle of some sort of substance onto her scalp and scratched through it. A beetle flung out of her hair, troubling him for a moment. Why did all of these priests treat her so cruelly? She went without bathing for days at a time because of her work load, and they dare mock and insult her for being dedicated to healing others? He turned his head and growled a bit at the thought.

"Looks like you could use a similar treatment," he heard her say. He looked into her eyes and noticed her smirk. She then said, "Who would have thought the powerful, deadly, arrogant lord had a case of stiffening wood?"

"Come with me," Sesshomaru whispered, brushing his lips against her ear.

Meioshi was shocked that the demon lord would even consider demanding her presence in such a tone, but, against her better judgment, she decided to follow him to see exactly how far he would take this. He brought her to an empty barn next to the spring that she hadn't used yet and probably didn't plan to use for her duties in the village. When they enter it, he begins to feel something pull at his gut. He didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do! Though he would never admit it, he never truly touched a woman on his own before. Either someone in his clan nominated a woman to be his mistress or he had to prove his manhood by simply accepting whoever threw themselves at him.

Sesshomaru stoops down a bit to press his lips experimentally against Meioshi's, feeling a warm, soft texture to them. She truly was a beautiful human woman: adventurous, gentle, fragile, proud, and intelligent. There was never much of a dull moment ever since he met this woman. He had begun to wonder what it was about human women that drove his fascination to discover things about them. Human men, he knew for a fact, were avaricious, spiteful, foolish, and took risks that led them to their ultimate doom. Women could be just as bad, but somehow he met a few women in his life that proved him wrong about humans. Not all of them sought death or could have done anything differently to prevent the deaths of loved ones or could even change the deaths that their loved ones grieved over. These were the kinds of humans he could learn to like and respect.

With Meioshi, it was no different yet completely so. Sure, he found she proved him wrong on a lot of things: that humans were stupid, avaricious, weak, and blockheaded. In the midst of it all, he began to learn other things about humans: that some took greater risks than others, that some put others' interests and wants before their own, that some cry for understandable reasons, that he understood the pains some of them go through, that some humans knew more about demons than demons thought they knew about themselves. Meioshi being a very talented, beautiful, fragile doctor sort of opened his eyes to tangible evidence dealing with humans and demons like himself. For the first time in history, he learned to develop a sexual interest and to see women as more than just some creature that needed saving more than anyone or anything else. Of course, he did find some women truly annoying when they chose to argue with him, but that made a woman far more fascinating. They were the bravest of the lot because they dared question his strength and wit.

He didn't know when Meioshi took off her robe, but it must have been while he was thinking to himself. She pressed her warm body against his so he could feel her supple breasts against his chest. When he hesitantly reached his hands up to caress her back, he realized she hadn't completely taken off the robe but began to. She parted from the kiss, sighing softly and blushing fairly minutely. He noticed her smile and that she was planting smaller kisses on his neck. She dragged her butterfly kisses all the way down until she was promply sitting on her knees, fondling a highly sensitive organ that hadn't been touched by anyone other than himself when he had to urinate.

She opened her mouth and began to pleasure him slowly. He hissed and growled from the feeling, loving every bit of it. If this is what humans did to create babies, he was missing out on a lot. It then became very clear on why Miroku liked touching other's women's personal areas. Feeling Meioshi touch her throat with his length, he let out a deep, guttural moan and pet her hair. He tossed his head back a couple of times, letting out more growling and a hiss or two in between to hold off any extra moaning that might make him sound effeminate. He knew Meioshi had touched other men before, but he wasn't sure of how much she was taught. She lightly moaned when she groped his butt and sent vibrations up his shaft that awakened a burst of electricity.

"Doctor..." he moaned, licking his lips when Meioshi stopped her ministrations and stood back up to her feet to speak to him.

"You rang?" she teased, smiling a bit.

"Turn around," he demanded, twirling Meioshi's body around so he could feel her butt on his length.

She had a fairly decent, round shape to her butt. Most dog demons excelled at a fitting bottom, but she once again proved that human women could have some nicely shaped buns. Meioshi took Sesshomaru's hand and brought him over to a nearby bedding area next to several piles of hay. She then kneeled on the bed and spread herself wide enough for him to see her vagina. Sesshomaru licked his lips, wondering how she knew which position to assume for him, and experimentally began groping her ass. It was so soft! He noticed she turned to watch him but smiled and blushed a bit at how he was staring at her and discovering new feelings. He gave himself a torturous stroke then filled himself in her. He growled from the warmth enclosing around his member then rocked very slowly into her until he was fully sheathed. She moaned a little, moving her hair so that it wouldn't blanket her gorgeous face. Sesshomaru finally decided to admit to himself that Meioshi was a gorgeous, enchanting woman.

The way she felt, the person she was, the presence she had in his life was all something new yet pleasant for him. When he wouldn't move, Meioshi took it upon herself to ride him for a moment until he was comfortable with moving on his own. His actions were rather strange to her, and it was only a matter of time before one of several conclusions she deducted was a truth. Either he was a virgin male warrior, which was rare but not unheard of, betrothed to someone else and was thinking about stopping, didn't want to disappoint his mother or their clan, or would rather the woman lead. She let out a soft moan as she paid attention to his actions. His lips curled, sunk in, and spread apart as he growled and hissed from what she was doing. Clearly, he was enjoying what was happening.

"Does that feel okay?" she asked, moaning when he grabbed her hips and began thrusting a bit faster and harder but not by much. She breathily laughed then said through small sighs and moans, "Ever the controlling one, eh?"

At that, Sesshomaru kissed Meioshi's back and stopped thrusting. In his own suddle way, Sesshomaru was saying he wasn't really in control of the situation. If he had been, he would probably lecture her on her inability to catch that detail. She was surprisingly patient with him, considering the fact that he didn't know what the hell he was doing or how the hell she knew what she was doing to him. She crawled up a little, unsheathing him minutely, and inched her way further and further away from him.

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru demanded, gripping her hips tightly. He hadn't realized just how cold it was without the sensual heat Meioshi uncannily produced.

"Tell me something, warlord," Meioshi started, removing his hands from her hips and turning to face him. "Am I your first?"

* * *

_That was when our relationship changed. This human woman, Jigoku Meioshi, led me into this strong temptation. I had never been persuaded to do anything so banal, frivolous even, but, without any hint of a refusal or a threatening glare covered in blood that I had to spill, she seduced me into doing something I had never considered doing with anyone. I had been asked by other women to be their husbands from an act of charity before, but she never asked that from me. She never asks me for anything. She would rather rot in hell than ask me for my help, and it is this refusal that causes me grief now. That one night where she threw away her duties, her beliefs, her defenses was the best night we ever shared alone together. This stupid wench! Why wouldn't she tell me she was in danger? Why wouldn't she call out to me to save her like the other women who would do the same? Why was she such an arrogant bitch? Meioshi...why didn't you let me help you? Didn't you realize...that when we were alone on that night...I promised to protect you and to be with you always...? Didn't you see it? _


End file.
